Seth waited until D and the ragged-looking group of boys had rounded the corner and disappeared from view before making his escape, pent-up adrenaline coursing throughout his body as he sprinted the rest of the way to Roman's house. He probably didn't need to flee quite so quickly, but by that point he just wanted to be as far away from that alley as possible.

When he finally made it there, he scrambled up the porch steps and flung the door open, yelling a rushed greeting to Ro's mother as he scaled the stairs to the second floor. She paused her vacuuming long enough to yell after him, "He's still in the shower, but...oh, never mind, you just make yourself at home, dear," as he shot past her.

Heading down the hallway, Seth heard the sound of running water, and as he moved closer, he could see a humid cloud rolling out through the crack in the bathroom door.

A pulse flashed through Seth's body, dropping his stomach into his feet like he was on a roller coaster. That's him- He's really here, he thought to himself, creeping up to the small opening and peeking in.

Through the steam, Seth got an unexpected eyeful, catching Roman in profile as he stood under the jets of hot water, letting it beat down on his shoulders. His silhouette was partially obscured by the textured glass of the shower door, but there was a certain part of him that was unmistakably present, even through the distortion. He took a step back and it moved with him, swaying heavily.

Seth's knees buckled as the roller coaster took another sudden drop. He turned away from the door and gasped for air, feeling lightheaded.

Oh my god, that was his...but it was so...oh my GOD.

He felt an odd trickle down his face, and the next thing he knew, blood was dotting the floor in front of him as it poured from his nostril. He had a tendency toward nosebleeds, especially when he was stressed, but this was another type of stress altogether. He clamped a hand over his face and ran for Roman's room, closing the door behind him. Grabbing the tissue box that sat on the dresser, he hurriedly began jamming tissues into his nose to stop the bleeding as he looked himself over in the mirror.

It was only then that he realized how roughed up he had gotten during the alley encounter, and he winced when he saw the dark scrape on his chin from the fall, wisely thinking better of touching it with dirty hands. Instead, he used his sleeve to wipe off most of the dirt from his face and neck, and patted the dust from his hair. He was far from presentable, but it was too late to do anything about it. He removed his coat, leaving himself in his white button-up shirt and necktie. He briefly considered untucking it, but decided just to loosen the tie instead.

Looking around the room, Seth quickly spotted Roman's large duffel bag, which was laying open on the bed.

His clothes. His smell...

He knew he shouldn't touch anything that wasn't his, but his curiosity seemed to be guiding his hand toward it as he watched, unable to stop it. The next thing he knew, he was happily nuzzling a gray cashmere sweater, face pressed into the soft fabric as he breathed in the intoxicating combination of sharp-scented body wash, some kind of sporty cologne, and a lingering, heady musk that could only come from male sweat.

His sweat...

Seth put the sweater down, glancing over toward the door. He certainly didn't want to get caught, but the lure of the forbidden was too strong for him to resist. He held open the flaps of the bag, peering around inside until he saw exactly what his fevered little mind was hoping for. Heart thumping loudly in his chest, he reached in and pulled out a white jock, holding it up in front of him with shaky hands. The words Under Armour were emblazoned across the waistband in large black letters, and he noted immediately how large it was compared to his small hand.

He swallowed hard as he imagined what Ro might look like in such a revealing garment, even though he was somewhat confused by the leg straps. Since Seth had never been particularly athletic, he never had the occasion to wear or see anybody else wearing an athletic supporter, but that didn't stop his mind from considering several exciting possibilities of how one might work. He was just about to hold it up to his nose for a sniff when a familiar voice came from directly behind him, snapping him back to reality.

"You just couldn't wait, could you?"

Seth froze, dropping the jock back into the bag. He took a deep breath and spun around, expecting to see a look of disgust or disappointment, but he instead came face to face with freshly-showered Roman, clad only in a white towel that hung perilously low on his hips. He stood in the doorway, smiling warmly, arms crossed in front of him. "You never could control yourself," he said with a smirk.

He's soooo hot...so perfect. I...think I want him.

"ROMIEEEEE!" Seth squealed, ignoring his better judgement and launching himself across the room. He latched onto Roman mid-torso, and he was immediately grabbed tightly around his small waist and hiked up over a muscled shoulder, his legs flailing and kicking uselessly in the air.

"What did I tell you about that? Don't. Call me. ROMIE," Ro chastised, swatting Seth's rear end playfully to punctuate his message.

"Sorry! I'm sorry, ok? Put me down!" Seth pleaded, suddenly keenly aware of just how excited he was. His erection was trapped between his lower stomach and Roman's bare shoulder, and all this jostling was having a definite effect on his composure.

Oh god, please don't come...not right now...pleeeease...

"Alright then," Roman replied, leaning over and depositing the smaller boy carefully back onto his feet. "Now give me a real hug, twerp."

He held his arms out, waiting for Seth to come to him. Seth balked, trying desperately to hide his arousal. He closed his eyes and walked into Roman's bear hug, but with the height difference, Ro's crotch was directly in front of him, pressing into his stomach through the warm towel. He could feel every curve and outline distinctly even through two layers of terry cloth.

"I missed you, too," said Roman, hugging Seth even tighter.

Oh god it's gonna happen...

Seth tore himself away, forcing himself to look in the opposite direction. He took a few labored breaths and tried to refocus, but before he could act he was scooped up from behind and thrown onto the bed, landing sprawled out on his back. Roman leaped on top of him, tickling his sides and abdomen mercilessly. "What's your problem, anyway? Since when do you refuse a hug?" He dug into Seth harder, his hands worming their way up under his shirt as he continued his tickle assault. "Don't you like me?"

God, I'm gonna...noooo...

"FUCK yes," Seth grunted, his hips moving on their own as he passed the point of no return. He tensed up and shuddered, his release pulsing out as he instinctively hunched toward Roman's wandering hands. "Yes...don't stop..."